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Samsung: TV in 8K is nice but the smartphones need to be reinvented

Samsung brought the international press together at the IFA City Cube to celebrate its entry into the world of 8K resolution with its presentation of the QLED 8K Q900R TV. This is an important step for Samsung Electronics, but in the meantime, the mobile division will have to step up and make some changes. If they don’t, 2019 will be a difficult year.

Samsung Electronics sets sail in 8K world

The new Samsung QLED 8K with 8K AI Upscaling TVs are part of the South Korean manufacturer’s long-term vision of becoming the industry leader in 8K by offering displays with most accurate and realistic displays possible.

“We’ve worked tirelessly over the years to achieve industry-leading innovation in image quality, and the introduction of our QLED 8K TV with 8K AI upscaling technology is, essentially, for the screens of the future,” said Jongsuk Chu, senior vice president of visual display at Samsung Electronics. “We are excited to introduce the Q900R to consumers, who will have the opportunity to experience the highest level of color brilliance, as well as clarity and sound quality in our new 8K models”.

It’s a TV that looks to the future, to a complete smart home. The new TV recognizes the different entertainment devices that are connected and automatically optimizes the viewing experience. And then there’s SmartThings, which tries to make the Q900R TV that much smarter.

IoT at the center of it all

Optimized space in the home and in everyday life, that’s what Samsung says we all need. And it’s here that Samsung wants to introduce artificial intelligence. In comes Bixby, which seeks to improve itself by becoming more useful. It still only speaks English and Korean, but that might change sometime in the future...

Bixby is still the intersection between the brand’s extensive product range and long-term strategy: smartphones, smartwatches and smart refrigerators all united by the voice assistant. The idea is good, but it still isn’t impressive. It isn’t mature enough and with the increasing number of parties forming partnerships with Google’s Assistant, Bixby won’t have it easy.

The mobile division needs to step up its game

Samsung is no longer the protagonist of IFA, as they have been for years, when they would introduce a new Note or a wearable to the stage in Berlin. This time around, the Note 9 got its own dedicated event that showed once again that the brand has the ability to make a complete device, although perhaps it isn’t worth the $1,000 price tag. There are competitors that can offer the same without the S-Pen, but for less.

Opinion by Jessica Murgia

If Samsung doesn't reinvent its smartphones, it will soon be knocked off its pedestal.

What do you think?

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24 participants

Samsung should revamp its game and find a different solution because the much-loved Galaxy S and Note series are no longer the most interesting and exciting devices on the market. Samsung is still the market leader in smartphones, and its devices are high quality, but it could soon lose its place on the podium. Huawei is increasingly fierce, Xiaomi has taken fourth place in the international rankings and with new devices like the Honor 10, Pocophone F1, and Xiaomi Mi 8, Samsung has to respond somehow.

It’s true that smartphones are no longer so exciting and that the market is saturated, but we all still have one in our pockets and keep buying new ones. Smartphones are increasingly how we control our lives. We’ll continue buying new ones and if you consider the newcomers to the stage, you need a good reason to spend over a thousand dollars for a Galaxy.

Do you think Samsung will soon lose its spot on the top of the market? Let us know what you think!

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